


Pipevine

by Crun Rules (Driwed)



Category: A3! (Video Game), DREAM!ing (Video Game), あやかし恋廻り | Ayakashi Koimeguri | Ayakashi: Romance Reborn (Visual Novel)
Genre: Butterflies, Mutual Dreaming, Supernatural Elements, a3! - Freeform, ayakashirr, dream!ing, driwed, pipevine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 18:00:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21762598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Driwed/pseuds/Crun%20Rules
Summary: A strange butterfly entered his dreams, foreshadowing a disaster soon to come. He's the only one that knew, making him the sole person to answer the call.
Kudos: 4





	1. Juza's Dream

_"Help! Please, help me!" a voice desperately called out in the darkness._

_Juza desperately searched around blindly in the darkness for the owner of the voice._

_"Please, someone! Anyone! Help me!" the voice continued to cry out._

_Who was it? What did they need help with? Why were they calling for him? He started to slow down, seeing no end to the darkness. It was then the scene before him started to brighten. He found himself standing in a nearly empty meadow. A tree stood before him. The inside could be seen and it was completely on fire. It must have been struck by lightning._

_He looked up and saw a butterfly floating beside him, looking at the tree. His wings were as black as night with the edges tinged with a slightly dark turquoise color. He's never seen a butterfly with such colored wings before. Juza stepped back slightly, seeing the butterfly starting to glow a strange color._

_"Oi, what's wrong?" he called out, not wanting to touch it but still concerned._

_The butterfly combusted and turned into numerous particles. The tree started to suck them in until none were left. Nothing seemed to happen. He moved to touch the tree only to be sent flying back onto his rear by a strong pulse of magic._

_..._  
_...._  
_....._

Juza sat up in bed with a start, breathing heavily and sweating all over. A tissue was wiped across his forehead as he gripped his bedsheets.

"Had a bad dream?" a soft voice asked.

"Aoi... Did you... did you see that?" Juza asked, taking the tissue from Aoi and watching him sit on his thigh.

"No. I can't see your dreams." said Aoi with a shake of his head. "At least not at this stage."

"It was scary and weird... Someone was calling for help. A butterfly with strangely colored wings. He exploded and was sucked into a tree... it was burning inside." said Juza, feeling Aoi rubbing his finger in a motion that he liked.

"Eh? What color?" asked Aoi in disbelief.

"They were as black as night but had a tinge of turquoise color..." said Juza, remembering how they shimmered slightly.

"You've been reading too many books and articles on us. I keep telling you to stop reading them before you sleep." Aoi fussed, crossing his arms.

"It felt real. He combusted and-" said Juza but Aoi had left his spot on his thigh.

"I've heard enough out of you. From what I recall, you have school to attend." said Aoi, pointing to his digital clock.

"Promise you'll look into the strange butterfly while I'm in class!" said Juza, running about his room, gathering his things.

"Sure." agreed Aoi, sitting on his bed as he left out the door.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Juza silently greeted the many butterflies that hovered by their partners. One left the comforts of their partner's hair and sat on Juza's shoulder.

"You again." Juza mumbled, opening his locker.

"Miss me? Anyway, I was thinking: I round up everyone and we all hang out on the roof during lunch." said the pastel winged butterfly. "You're like, the only one who can see us."

"Do you all often get lonely?" asked Juza. The butterfly nodded. "Well, I suppose I could. That is if the door to the roof is open."

The butterfly cheered happily then flew back to tell the others. He closed his locker and was spooked by a boy with a shit eating grin on his face.

"Yes, Taichi?" asked Juza stiffly.

"Couldn't help but notice you were talking to yourself. Why? Nervous? Or is it because you're an oracle?!" said Taichi, slamming his hand against the locker.

Taichi's butterfly rolled his eyes as he sat on Juza's shoulder.

"I have to deal with this idiot day in and day out. I'm tired. Let me nap in your hair." said the forest green winged butterfly.

"Look, I really think you should be dedicating the time you spend oracle hunting into actual studying." said Juza before walking away. The butterfly yawned, nestling himself more into Juza's hair. "Yuzuru, you do know you have to go back to Taichi."

"He won't know I'm gone. Man, Aoi's so lucky to have not just a sane person, but an oracle at that." said Yuzuru in an envious tone.

Juza entered his classroom and as usual received stares and disapproving looks from his peers. A bunch of butterflies planted themselves on Juza's desk, finally glad to have a human to chat with. Juza wrote his responses on paper as to not stand out like he already did.

The bell rung and the teacher had walked in. The class quieted down as the teacher announced a transfer student. The student was beckoned inside.

"Introduce yourself." said the teacher.

The girl wrote her name on the board then faced everyone once more.

"Mikekado Shion. I moved into the area after my parents decided to come back to Japan from the USA. I also have a pet hedgehog." said Shion, their gaze landing on Juza who was surrounded by butterflies. "Oh, don't misunderstand either, I'm a male."

Most of the boys groaned in disappointment at the reveal.

"Your seat is over there." said the teacher, pointing to the desk by the back.

Juza kept his head lowered, not wanting to make another enemy. Shion stopped by his desk, scratching underneath a butterfly's chin before continuing on his way.

"Who is that?" a butterfly asked.

"I don't know, but he knew the right spot to scratch." the other said, melting into a pile of goo.

An unfamiliar butterfly floated in front of his face, seeming disinterested in him.

"You can see us, can't you?" he asked, checking his nails.

Juza wrote his reply. The butterfly read it then left without a word.

"People like him piss me off." a female said, becoming self conscious.

"Probably 'cause he looks more feminine than you." a guy joked, earning himself a hefty punch.

Juza smiled, happy with the sight before him. He always felt lonely, constantly outcasted and picked on for the way he looked. He didn't ask to look threatening, he really just wanted some friends who understood him. Ever since he was able to see Aoi, the lonely feelings had long since disappeared.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Yuzuru stretched out and noticed Juza was heading up to the roof. He didn't think much of it until...

"Juza, don't jump!" he exclaimed, jumping in front of him.

"Jump? Why would I jump?" he asked in confusion.

As expected, the door was locked, so he camped out in the stairwell. Soon a horde of butterflies came flying, each clinging or sitting on a part of Juza.

"You sure brought a lot of people, Jin..." said Juza in surprise.

"You don't know how much we've been dying to talk to you. We get sick of each other after a while." said Jin and the others nodding.

"I just noticed. Aoi's not with you. That's... very unusual." said Yuzuru.

"He's looking up information for me." said Juza. "A strange colored butterfly to be exact."

"What color were the wings?" asked Yuzuru curiously.

"Mostly black, but the tips had a turquoise color." Juza said, the wings coming back to memory.

The butterflies talked amongst themselves and came to a unanimous decision. None of them had heard of a butterfly like that.

"I thought I heard chirping." a voice said, accompanied by footsteps. Shion made himself known. "Hi there, little ones."

The butterflies didn't move, completely wary of the person. Shion's butterfly emerged from his hair and approached Juza.

"Are you the only one in this school who can see us?" he asked, filing his nails.

"As far as I know, yes." answered Juza honestly.

"Shion's an oracle. Treat him kindly. Which one is your butterfly?" asked the light purple winged butterfly, looking at the others.

"He's not here. He's... busy." responded Juza.

"You do remember we can't go long without a form of physical contact with our partners, right?" said the butterfly.

"Aoi knows his limit. We've worked to overcome that. If he starts feeling unwell, he rests on my pillow to boost his energy before coming to me." said Juza just as Aoi came in carrying an index card. "Aoi!"

"Sorry, I felt a bit drained. The pillow does help." said Aoi, kicking Yuzuru out of Juza's hair and nestling himself within.

"See? I plan to create alternative options if I'm not readily available." said Juza to the butterfly.

"Impressive, but I don't care. Just make friends with my partner. Thanks." said the butterfly, heading back over to Shion.

"Who's the gank?" Aoi asked, sliding the index card into his hands.

"Yakumo. I apologize for him. He's rather... blunt." said Shion, approaching them. "He's not really interested in buddy buddy stuff."

"Hm, he's sure to die alone with a shit attitude like that." said Aoi, earning agreements from the other butterflies.

"Maybe because you shitty, wannabe glorified asslickers need everything in your lives to be perfect to a T. God forbid something is out of place." said Yakumo from Shion's hair. "I can't count how many butterflies have been kicked out of Villa because of you 'I need to be perfect in every way' bastards."

Juza looked at Shion who shrugged. He was just as confused.

"They... they get kicked out?" Yuzuru asked, taking one for the team.

"Yeah. Oh, don't tell me you didn't know this?" said Yakumo with forced chuckling. "Oh my god, you didn't know. So here you all are, reporting other butterflies for messing up, unaware that they end up out on the streets, fending for themselves?"

The other butterflies looked away in silence. Aoi scrunched his nose, wondering how much of it was actually true.

"Do they really get kicked out?" Aoi challenged.

"Remember that blueberry winged girl who always treated us to cold, sweet treats?" Yakumo asked, leaning against Shion's shoulder. The others nodded while murmuring. "When was the last time you saw her?"

It hit Aoi like a ton of bricks. No one had thought much of it until now. It was then he had a thought.

"Since you know so much, has a butterfly with wings as dark as night with turquoise tips ever lived in Villa?" asked Aoi.

"No. They don't exist." said Yakumo softly.

"Don't exist?" Juza piped up.

"Yeah. They used to, but apparently something happened in the past and they were wiped out. No one talks about it anymore, mostly because we aren't really allowed to." said Yakumo with a shrug.

Juza looked at the index card that gave vague information like Yakumo did. An entire variation obliterated for what reason?

"Shion, can Yakumo see your dreams?" asked Juza.

"He can, but not all of them. Why?" he replied.

"Is it possible for a butterfly to see someone else's dreams?" he pressed, hoping he could borrow Yakumo.

"It's possible, but I don't want to." said Yakumo, clinging lovingly to Shion.

"Yakumo, just help him. Do it for me. Didn't you want me to make friends?" Shion asked, nudging his side. "But I'll have to come as well since he'll need contact with me."

"That's fine. I'm sure my dad will let you stay over." said Juza with a smile.

Aoi pouted as he watched Yakumo. He's never met such a crude butterfly before. It slightly worried him.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

"Welcome to mi casa." said Juza, placing down slippers for Shion to wear.

"It's homey." said Shion, looking around.

Aoi's wings flared before closing, signifying he was making his territory known. Yakumo couldn't care less.

"So, why don't we do some homework?" Juza suggested, walking into his room.

Shion sat on the floor as Juza brought a table over. Aoi looked at Yakumo who silently helped Shion with his work. How was he knowledgeable in human subjects? Aoi placed himself on Juza's book, wanting to help as well.

"You want to read along?" Juza asked curiously.

"I want to help." said Aoi with his hands on his hips.

"Help? I thought you always had other things to do and couldn't be bothered." Juza repeated from a conversation ages ago.

Yakumo snickered as he wrote in an answer for Shion. What good was a butterfly if they couldn't make burdens a bit lighter for their partners?

"Ah, I think that's wrong, Yakumo." said Shion, looking over the answer. "You're off by two. See, the problem is..."

Yakumo patiently listened as Shion explained the math problem. Aoi puffed his cheeks as he looked at the foreign words in Juza's workbook. His mind swirled.

"How do you pronounce these..." Aoi muttered.

"'Wa-terr', 'pall-len', and 'lah-toh-pu'." said Juza, sounding them out the best he could.

"They sound so weird... What do they mean? Help me understand." begged Aoi, not wanting to lose to Yakumo.

"Haha, you're so cute Aoi. I appreciate you trying to help." said Juza, gently rubbing Aoi's head.

Aoi swatted his finger away with redden cheeks. Yakumo snickered again, earning a glare from Aoi.


	2. Juza's Dream pt2

Juza found himself running in darkness once more in his dreams. The voice continued to ring in his ears, desperately asking for help. The darkness brightened and revealed the same scene he saw before, the tree, the butterfly. Juza reached out and held the butterfly in his hands.

 _"Hey, talk to me. Are you calling for me? What's going on!?"_ Juza asked.

The butterfly finally looked at Juza with a tired and worried look.

 _"It got through... to someone... to you..."_ he whispered, his voice hoarse.

 _"Tell me, who are you? Where are you? Where is this place?" pressed Juza, noticing the butterfly was starting to glow. "Wait, please, don't go yet!"_ Juza begged.

 _"Ka... Kazu..."_ the butterfly said before combusting into particles.

The scene played out, the tree absorbing him and sending out a strong pulse.

...  
....  
.....

Juza's eyes snapped open and saw two small faces staring down at him. He sat up and watched the two of them sit on his lap. Aoi looked at Yakumo, hoping he was able to see what was troubling his partner.

"Well... I did see it. The butterfly he was talking about. I can't believe it, but he was there. His kind might still exist." said Yakumo, crossing his arms. "He was saying something. All I caught was Kazu."

"Well it's certainly not a place in our world, I know that." said Aoi. "Maybe it's a name?"

Juza looked to his side and saw Shion fast asleep. Aoi quietly hovered above him and tapped his face.

"Wake up. You've got school." said Aoi, soon joined by Yakumo who pulled on his ear.

Shion swatted at them before sitting up.

"Good morning." said Juza with a smile.

"Shut up." Shion hissed.

"He's... not the nicest after being woken up. Worse than me..." said Yakumo with a shake of his head. "Back to our conversation, the thing that worries me is that pulse of magic. Did the dream end there last time?"

"Yeah... I wonder what happens after it." muttered Juza as he got out of bed.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Juza continuously wrote "kazu" in his notebook as the teacher went on about boring literature. Aoi left his shoulder and kept him from writing "kazu".

"Aimlessly writing won't help. We don't have much of a choice, but you need to find out more in that dream. Do whatever you need to to get him to talk." said Aoi sternly.

Juza wrote his response before sighing. What if he never had the dream again? All he had to go on was "kazu". It was then he had an idea.

"'Research his kind'... Juza, that's not possible. I'm sure Yakumo could back me up on this." said Aoi, flying away to bring Yakumo over.

Yakumo yawned, having been disturbed from his nap.

"What's so important you had to wake me up?" Yakumo snapped.

"This idiot partner of mine wants to research that 'kazu' guy's kind. Tell him why we can't." said Aoi angrily.

"Look, I'm just as curious as the next person about whether that guy is real or not. Any and all records of his kind have either been wiped or burned to ashes. At least, that's what the public knows. Who knows what our officials have secretly stored away." Yakumo said, staying neutral.

"You're supposed to discourage him!" Aoi fumed.

"I only obey Shion. Now if that's all, I'm going back to my nap." said Yakumo, flying away.

Aoi shook his head as he could see ideas formulating in Juza's mind. He wasn't going to risk his life just to find out what happened to that guy's kind ages ago.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Aoi quietly watched as Juza read books cover to cover for any information. His partner was going to run himself ragged for someone else's sake. Did he no longer matter? All his life he's been beside Juza, looking out for him the best he could and the moment some butterfly shows up in his dreams apparently seeking help, they're all he can think about.

"What you're doing is stupid." Aoi spat, his jealousy showing.

"That may be true, but he really sounded relieved to hear I answered his call. He looked so worn out and defeated... his wings were tattered..." Juza said, remembering the small butterfly collapsing in his hands.

"You don't even know him! His kind was killed for a reason, meaning they were dangerous! I'm not going to let you dig any deeper!" Aoi shouted, using his tiny body to close the book. "I won't let that man lead you astray."

"Aoi..." whispered Juza in surprise.

"You don't need anyone else besides me and the other butterflies. We don't need any additions..." muttered Aoi, hiding his true feelings.

Juza quietly watched Aoi struggle to push the book under his desk, never to be thought of again.

"Aoi, I'm sorry but, I have to do this. Someone finally heard his pleas and I'm that someone. I must be his last hope." said Juza with a regretful look.

Aoi weakly pulled on the book that Juza easily lifted off the floor. Aoi gave up, seeing there was no changing his mind. He was upset. He felt betrayed, useless, and unimportant to Juza. Why couldn't he understand?

"Then be that way. I'll leave." said Aoi, flying out the open window.

He knew he wouldn't survive long without him, but maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing since he would've been replaced anyway.

"Whoa, slow down there buddy. Running away are we?" asked Yakumo with a sneer.

"Leave me alone." Aoi mumbled, continuing on his way.

"If I do that, poor Juza won't get a wink of sleep. Too worried about where his precious partner is, if he's okay, if he's dying." said Yakumo with a laugh. "Anyway, Shion's here so I best be going. Don't die~"

Aoi quietly watched Shion tickle Yakumo who responded positively to the action. Did Juza ever do anything like that with him? Did he have any fun memories of his time spent with him? He didn't. He took them for granted. He never stopped to think about the ifs and whens. It wasn't possible as far as he knew for a person to switch or obtain another butterfly, but who knew at this point if someone from a long thought extinct kind suddenly appeared from thin air?

He quietly sat on a tree branch, willing himself not to cry. Juza wouldn't look for him. He walked out on his own. He was one butterfly out of millions. Aoi was spooked out of his thoughts by Yakumo taking a seat beside him.

"Juza's worried sick about your dumbass. How long are you going to rebel huh?" he asked, tired of hearing Juza's wailing.

"He's upset...?" asked Aoi in shock.

"Who wouldn't be if they lost someone precious to them?" Yakumo spat. "Now stop being an idiot and come on."

Shion patted Juza's back as he wiped his tears. He didn't expect Aoi to really up and leave him. Who knew how far Aoi had disappeared to at this point? Was he not getting enough attention?

"Oh, you brought him back." said Shion, having Yakumo rest atop his head.

"Juza... I-" Aoi spoke then was pulled into a rib crushing hug. "Juza... m... my lungs..."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just... you're back..." said Juza with reddening puffy eyes.

Aoi coughed as he smoothed out his clothes.

"You're not at fault... I... I overreacted. I was jealous..." mumbled Aoi, tapping his index fingers together. "You were more into that guy than me..."

"He sure is. Everyone loves a good new mystery than tired out romances." said Yakumo, earning himself a hit from Shion.

"I won't get jealous again. I promise." said Aoi, squeezing his eyes shut as he clasped his hands together against his forehead.

He felt his head being rubbed then opened his eyes. Juza gave him a warm smile before feeling Aoi hug him.

"Ew, romance cliche." spat Yakumo, dodging Shion's attack.

"As if you weren't crying like a baby when I went to hang out with friends nearby and you couldn't find me." said Shion with a raised eyebrow.

"I did not! The wind got in my eyes." Yakumo scoffed, his cheeks and ears bright red.

"So, are we going to pursue this, well, are you, Juza?" Shion asked curiously.

"I think I am. But I don't know where to start. Who knows where in the world he lives? Was the scenery anywhere in this world?" Juza rambled, remembering the nearly empty meadow.

"I think the place is in Rona, the butterfly world. A friend had mentioned passing by a nearly empty meadow. Though, this was long ago so I don't think she would remember." said Yakumo, throwing in his two cents.

"Any information is helpful." said Juza, writing it down. "Do you remember her name?"

"Syhes I believe. If not then, oops." said Yakumo. "Anyway, even if you had information, how do you plan on getting to Rona? It's not like it's a bus trip away."

"You have a point..." said Juza, losing confidence.

"And you have school to worry about. Plus your parents. Don't you think they'd be worried?" Yakumo added.

"I can only cover for you outside of school. There's no doubt they'll call your parents if they see you aren't in school..." said Shion with a sigh. "How does time work in Rona?"

"I don't know actually... Do you know anyone that would?" Aoi asked, directing his question to Yakumo.

A familiar forest green winged butterfly made his grand entrance into Juza's room. It didn't take long for him to realize what was going on.

"Taichi insisted on visiting you. He's dead set in exposing you. So, I'd hide everything that hints at our existence." said Yuzuru, sitting atop Juza's dresser.

"Hey, you, Forest. Do you know how time operates between our world and this one?" Yakumo asked, unfazed by his warning.

"Hm, I'd say about half a day here equals about two days in Rona. It's amazing how much free time one has when they aren't paired with an oracle." said Yuzuru with a sigh. "Hey, is that chick there an oracle?"

"For your information, I am a male." Shion snapped.

"There's your answer." said Yakumo just as Taichi burst into the room.

"Oh, didn't think you had a friend over, let alone anyone for that matter." said Taichi, placing his bag off to the side.

"Why are you here?" Juza asked, pretending to take out his books to study.

"Just to talk. I know, I've constantly accused you of being an oracle and I know I'm definitely right, but I do want to get to know you better." said Taichi, sitting himself on Juza's bed.

"I never told you where I live though..." commented Juza, creeped out.

"So, you read up on butterflies too? What do you think about them? Think they exist?" Taichi asked, avoiding the statement.

"Tell me how you found my address." Juza demanded.

"I asked around, okay?" Taichi said, rolling his eyes. "You make it sound like I went through your school records."

Aoi looked at Yuzuru who kept silent. He may dislike Taichi, but he wasn't a snitch.

"So... you're interested in butterflies? Which kind?" asked Juza, pulling up butterflies on the web.

"Not insects, the spirit ones! These!" said Taichi, pulling out a book Juza had lying on a shelf.

"Taichi, right?" Shion asked, receiving a nod in return. "You have to be the biggest idiot on Earth if you believe such fairytales. Tiny humans with butterfly attributes, what a laugh."

Taichi puffed out his cheeks, disliking the fact a girl just insulted him.

"Well excuse me miss for having an imagination. Why would people write about things and even have drawings if they aren't real somewhere?" Taichi challenged.

"First, I am a male. A guy. I have a dick. God this is getting old... Second, people just want fame and recognition, willing to create bizarre things for it. You can't trust the internet for a shred of truth." said Shion with his hands on his hips. "It's naive fools like you they prey on for money."

Taichi looked to Juza who remained silent. Shion was doing a pretty good job in shattering his bubble. Taichi's gaze fell to his lap, staring at the cover of the book. He placed it aside before quietly leaving the room.

"And you broke my partner. Thanks a bunch, you trans." Yuzuru spat.

Shion swiftly scooped the butterfly up in his hand and viciously attacked him with a pencil while the others pretended not to notice.


	3. To Rona

**a few days later...**

Juza quietly sat on his bed while Aoi fluttered about.

"This is what I'll do." said Juza, speaking up after minutes of silence. Aoi stopped moving and waited for him to speak. "I'll pretend to run away from home. That's the only solution for me to be gone long enough not to draw attention."

"You're a idiotic genius, that's for sure. So I assume you have a plan to start an argument?" Aoi inquired, knowing most runaways fought with their parents.

"No, I'll just leave a note. Then I'll run and take us to a secluded area so you can take me to Rona." Juza explained.

"There's a flaw in your plan." said Aoi with a look of concern. "You need at least ten butterflies to open up a portal big enough for one human. We aren't used to transporting anything larger than ourselves."

"Well, I've got three. You, Yakumo and Yuzuru. But that's about it..." muttered Juza before deflating.

"Be thankful I thought ahead of time and filled some others in back at school. All I have to do is give the word and they'll be here." said Aoi, thanking the heaven he thought ahead.

"Aoi!" Juza exclaimed, holding his partner close. "What would I do without you?"

"Let's just get this over with so we can return to our peaceful life." Aoi spat as he wiggled free.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Juza found himself surrounded by butterflies as he hung out in an alley.

"Shion isn't with you?" Juza asked, finding it odd.

"We're not joined at the hip you know. Unlike a certain someone, my dearest Shion has common sense and knows that his responsibilities come before anything ridiculous like this." said Yakumo, tying up his hair. "So, let's get this over with."

"You're leaving without me?" a voice said from behind.

"Shion?" they said in unison.

"I know, the butterfly asked for you, but it wouldn't hurt to have some backup would it?" Shion suggested, catching his breath.

"Are you serious about this? You won't be able to follow him right away as we need to recharge." said Aoi.

"I am serious, I can wait. Will you allow me, Juza?" Shion asked once more.

"Welcome aboard." said Juza with a bright smile.

They quietly watched as the butterflies formed a circle, a dark spot forming in the center of the ground until it expanded, resembling a whirlpool. Aoi gave him a nod then watched as he jumped in without hesitation.

He shut his eyes as he traveled through then opened them. He was soon being shot up in the air, the gate closing beneath him. He started falling back to the ground. Juza was sure he'd hit the ground, but a bunch of plant roots formed a landing pad for him, breaking his fall.

"So this is Rona..." Juza mumbled, numerous pastels, neons and other bright colors filling his eyesight.

The colors shifted, showing various dark and dull colors. He didn't want to move yet in fear of making a wrong move. He'd wait for Aoi and Yakumo. Soon a figure flew up in his peripheral vision.

"Shion!" he shouted, leaving his spot in hopes of catching him.

"Juza!" he shouted back, fearing for his life.

Juza caught him in his arms as their butterflies were spit out of a smaller gate. Juza had put him down and both checked on their worn out partners.

"I hate to ask this but, where are we and how do we get to Villa?" Juza asked, gently massaging Aoi's tiny body.

"Just follow me. You won't get any reaction from him for a while." whispered Yakumo, weakly sitting up in Shion's hands. "Idiot exerted too much energy."

Juza put Aoi in his pocket then followed behind. The scenery was beautiful no matter what colors were present.

"Do the colors always change like this?" questioned Shion, voicing Juza's thoughts.

"Now that you mention it..." mumbled Yakumo, finding it strange. "These bright colors aren't supposed to be seen until nighttime."

"Not the other way around?" Juza inquired, finding it strange.

"We're different beings, we live differently than you humans." said Yakumo. "If you haven't noticed by now, we're mostly carnivorous but will resort to eating greens if there isn't any meat available."

"That explains why meat on my plate was magically disappearing..." Juza said with a surprised gasp.

"He never told you?" Yakumo asked in sheer surprise.

"Not at all... Every time I asked, he'd just change the subject." responded Juza with a despondent look.

Shion looked at Juza who seemed upset. He couldn't blame him. With the way it sounded, it seemed as if Aoi didn't trust him. The rest of their trip to Villa was spent in silence.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

"Yakumo! How long has it been? 2 years now?" a butterfly said, joining their hands with his.

"Seems so. So, I've got a situation." said Yakumo, explaining that he needed to help his partner and his friend sneak around Villa.

"Ah, give us a second. Tell them to wait a bit far from Villa." she said, heading back in.

Shion held his hands out for Yakumo to sit on.

"They'll meet us here. It's just going to turn you into small people." Yakumo explained. "Is he awake yet?"

Juza peeked into his pocket then shook his head. Was Aoi going to be okay? Yakumo flew over to Juza's pocket and pulled Aoi out, showing little struggle in carrying him.

"I'm taking him inside to give him a drink. Always works. Tell the girls I need them to carry you up to Villa." said Yakumo before flying away.

"So... do you think it'll hurt?" Juza asked.

"I know as much as you do. I'm more concerned about how much we'll shrink and how long we'll stay that small." said Shion, letting his mind work.

The female butterflies arrived and looked around.

"It's us. Yakumo politely asks if you could help us get into Villa after we shrink..." said Juza with a smile.

"Sure. So, just eat these." they said, handing them small baskets.

Shion put one in his mouth and nearly gagged from the awful taste. He looked to Juza who finished his with no problem.

"Aren't they extremely sweet to you...?" Shion asked, starting to cough.

"Is it?" Juza asked before shrinking into Aoi's size.

"You have to eat them all." she said, looking at Shion.

Shion swallowed hard before dumping the entire thing into his mouth. He soon shrunk in size, hoping he could get water to get rid of the taste. The girls picked them up and headed over to Villa. The duo looked in awe as many butterflies walked about, interacting and laughing in delight. It was like a paradise.

"Here we are. I advise you not to speak of who you really are. Now you resemble grass elves and they're rather... nasty when provoked, but real sweethearts overall." one of the girls said before taking off with her friend.

"So we have to be sweet? How sweet are we talking?" Shion asked no one in particular. "Where did Yakumo disappear to anyway?"

They walked around, searching for Yakumo and Aoi. They stepped off to the side as a butterfly zipped past them and soon another followed.

"Isn't that..." Shion muttered.

"Aoi!" Juza shouted, watching Yakumo chase his partner around.

Aoi stopped at the sound of Juza's voice. Yakumo crashed into his back, now rubbing his hurt nose. Aoi flew down then stared at Juza. Shion giggled in delight as Aoi tightly clung to Juza like his life depended on it.

"Nice to see you too, Aoi." said Juza, patting his head.

"For now, you two will stay in my place while energizer and I go scope out security around the officials' building." said Yakumo, lifting Shion into his arms. "We'll get there faster by flying."

They eventually stopped in front of a two story home.

"You live here? You're wealthy?" Shion asked in disbelief.

"Well, when one of your parents was a former official..." said Yakumo, completely smug about it.

"Just open the damn door." Aoi fussed as he put Juza down.

They walked inside and Shion was taken in by the beautiful decorations. He certainly lived lavishly.

"Say, when are you all assigned to a human?" Juza inquired.

"When humans reach the age of 10. Thats when you really need divine intervention per se." said Aoi, sitting beside Juza. "Until then, we live here."

"And you come back here when they die?" Shion asked.

"Not to Villa. We end up in the neighboring city, Lulila. It's where butterflies who already had partner spend the rest of their days." said Yakumo, pulling Aoi towards the front door. "We'll be back."

Juza started to explore the interior of Yakumo's home, genuinely interested in how butterflies lived. He climbed the stairs the noticed a painting. He gently ran his hand over it then felt something sink in. Shion yelped as the floor started to open up near him.

"What's going on?" asked Juza, hurriedly climbing down.

"Secret stairs..." Shion pointed out.

They exchanged looks before venturing down below. It was pitch black. They turned on the flashlights on their phones in search of the light switch. Shion flipped the switch and a series of strung lights turned on. Boxes lined the walls while a lone desk and chair sat in the middle of the room. They started to check boxes until Shion moved over to the desk. A hologram of sorts appeared.

" _Welcome back. Please state your pin._ " it said.

"Let's leave it alone. Who knows what might happen if we incorrectly guess." said Juza, pulling him back over to the boxes.

Juza eventually pulled out a folder that contained a sheet of paper and the name "PIPEVINE" in big, bold, red colored letters. He took the paper out, only seeing a bunch of photos of butterflies with the same colored wings as his dream butterfly.

"Well, they forgot to burn something." commented Shion.

Nothing else was in the folder. He studied the photo, wondering if the dream butterfly was in one. Shion took the paper then put it in his pocket.

"Keep searching. We might find something else." he said, opening other boxes.

Aoi yawned as they made their way back. He looked at Yakumo and decided to ask.

"Why did you lie to them?" he asked.

"Less talking, more flying." Yakumo responded, avoiding the question.

Aoi didn't press further, figuring he wouldn't get anywhere.


	4. The Dream Butterfly

**~Time skip: 1 (Rona) week**

Aoi held Juza in his arms as they flew around. Nothing but trees, grass and flowers as far as their eyes could see.

"Will they really be able to pull it off? What happens to butterflies who get caught?" Juza asked worriedly.

"Exiled from Villa." Aoi responded calmly.

"Isn't it dangerous then!? Yakumo's home holds so much information, not to mention that hologram that asked for a pin!" Juza exclaimed, forgetting they never mentioned it.

"What? Why didn't you tell us!?" Aoi fussed, close to dropping Juza.

Juza felt himself slipping and falling out of his arms. Aoi panicked and swooped down to catch him, only for him to disappear from sight.

"Juza!? Juza, where are you!?" he shouted, hoping he didn't meet his end.

"I'm right here!" Juza shouted, finding himself in someone's arms.

He looked up and felt his eyes widen in shock. He freaked out, causing them to accidentally let him go. Juza once more started plummeting to his death. The butterfly quickly swooped down and caught Juza just before he crashed to the ground.

"You saved me... again..." he whispered.

"I couldn't let you die. That'd weigh heavily on my conscious, bud." they said with a grin.

"You... aren't you the one who called for me?" Juza asked, recognizing the wings and face anywhere.

"I don't know what you mean, fam. I ain't called anyone." he said, confused.

"No, really... you appeared to me in my dreams. You were desperately calling for help. I'm not crazy." said Juza, having been put down on the ground.

"Hey, look, if you're trying to use pick up lines on me, you're going to have to do better." he said with a shake of his head. "Though, I'm more into women than men at the moment."

"Hey! Listen to him." Aoi said in a serious tone from behind him.

The both of them swallowed hard as a pressuring aura emitted off of Aoi.

"Alright then... what's your name?" he asked. Juza gave him his name. "Alright Juza, lay it all on me."

Juza told him the entire dream from start to finish, including the moment he got a chance to talk to him.

"Well, I'm going to be real honest here... I don't remember doing anything like that. But I do remember being woken up one night by some voice in my head. All I could really decipher was the word name, so I started shouting it like a nut job." he said with a frown. "Maybe someone was pretending to be me."

"I knew we shouldn't have pursued this. That's it, we're going home Juza." said Aoi, opening his arms.

"Aoi, that dream was real. I truly **felt** that pulse of magic." said Juza, turning his gaze back to the butterfly. "Do you really not remember?"

"Other than the name thing, I've been sleeping like a rock. No literally, like a rock. My friend said I've been hard to wake up lately..." he said with a thoughtful look. "And when I do, I look like I went to Lulila and back a hundred times before perking up."

"That! That's it! It's your subconscious! I knew you were the right butterfly." said Juza, taking his hands. "What's your name?"

"Uh... Kazunari..." he muttered then was suddenly being spun around.

Aoi watched in envy as Juza fawned over him.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

"So, I heard about your kind..." Juza mentioned, figuring he'd know more about it.

"Have you? Well, not many of us made it out alive. It was quite the bloody shower." Kazunari laughed, only to see he was the only one. "Yeah, just me and a few friends made it out, mostly because we had gone off on our own just as it started. Our families, neighbors, friends, gone."

"Did you hear anything when you came back?" pressed Juza, knowing he was opening old wounds.

Kazunari stopped walking as he gently pulled on his wing. He quickly retracted his question, sensing he really didn't want to talk about it.

"No, it's fine. I was just thinking..." said Kazunari, starting to walk again. "They just called us a nuisance..."

"That's horrible and not a reason enough to kill off an entire kind! Even then killing is bad." Juza said in a firm tone. "What a bunch of jerks."

"Wow, you really said that, Juza." said Aoi.

"Oh, that tree you mentioned, I think I might've passed by it a few times. I stopped as I recently started hearing a painful ringing in my ears when I do." said Kazunari. "Though it doesn't happen to my friends. It's weird. I'll have them take you there and back since I really can't..."

"Are you sure it's this guy? We can still back out." Aoi whispered to Juza.

"I know it's him. I could never mistake a face, especially if they're in trouble." Juza whispered back.

Kazunari suddenly took flight and started singing a tune. The flowers around them started to dance as their colors constantly switched from light to dark along with everything else. It then suddenly stopped. Only dark remained. Aoi blinked rapidly. Only the area around them remained constant while outside was in constant disarray.

"Kazunari, what the fuck are you?" Aoi demanded, hiding Juza behind him.

"Eh, what do you mean? I'ma butterfly just like you." he said, the area going back into disarray.

"No... no butterfly could pull something like that. Not even the officials. What are you?" he demanded again.

"Pull what?" he asked in confusion.

"Don't you see what's going on with our world? Yet you singing a silly tune fixed a small area of it." said Aoi, stepping back with Juza.

"I did?" asked Kazunari. He started to sing and looked around him. Aoi was right. "Whoa, that's way rad dude!"

"Aoi, I don't think he's lying. He really does seem like he's only now aware of it." said Juza, stepping out from behind him.

"Juza-" said Aoi, just missing him as he ran over to join Kazunari.

It wasn't quite the perfect harmony, but the duo had fun either way, unaware of the afflicted areas being fixed into its natural state. Aoi quietly watched from behind, skeptical of Kazunari's obliviousness.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

"Well, here we are. The tree that bothers Kazu." she said with her hands on her hips.

Juza walked over then stood in front of it. This was it, the tree from his dream. He placed his hand against it, unable to see the inside of it. He didn't feel or hear anything from the tree. What was or were the triggers? He pulled away then looked around. How long did he have until what he saw in his dream came true? He started walking back over, ready to head back.

"Do you know anything about that tree?" Juza asked.

"Not really. A few locals call it 'Ticking'. I don't know what that means." the male said.

"Right. They say at night you can hear it ticking like an insect." she added on.

Juza looked at Aoi who shook his head. He's lived in Villa all his life. A large animal suddenly started charging towards them. Aoi was quick to take flight while the two stayed down below with Juza. Aoi was about to call out until it stopped in front of the butterflies.

"We figured we'd give you a ride back in style." she said, giving Juza a smile.

"Wow, thanks." he said. They had him and the animal become familiar with each other. "It's so soft..."

"Right? I think he'll let you ride him now. What about you? Gonna fly back?" she asked, shouting from below.

Aoi nodded, not trusting of wild creatures. Many from Villa had lost their lives to beasts like that one. He followed behind as it took off back in the direction they had come from. Juza snuggled into its coat, finding it softer than any human animal's.

The animal stopped beside a small home just outside a bunch of others. Kazunari poked his head out and happily greeted everyone. A young girl came out as well and started to pet the animal. Juza slid off then noticed the little girl was missing most of her right wing.

"Kazunari." he called out before pulling him off to the side. "That little girl..."

"Yep. I was dumb enough to go back into Villa but, I guess in this case she's forever thankful for that dumbness." said Kazunari with laughter. "We've been helping her out here and there with flight but it's clearly hard on her, especially since she was in the process of growing."

Juza nodded then looked back at the girl who happily played with the other butterflies and animal.

"I really don't understand why they wanted to get rid of you all... You don't seem threatening at all." said Juza with a heavy frown.

"Eh, don't worry about it! It's been ages and we're perfectly happy here. We're all glad that our lives were spared when they were. We could've been unlucky like everyone else." said Kazunari with a smile. "Now go have fun."

Kazunari stayed behind as the others played around. He didn't like the fact the past was being brought up. He didn't want his friends to remember such a sad and traumatic time. He was well aware that Aoi wanted nothing to do with them and decided to use that to send Juza away and relocate his family.


	5. A Shared Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the unannounced hiatus! all stories will resume usual posting

**a few (rona) days later...**

Juza found himself waking up in complete darkness. He was back to human size. Kazunari lied motionless beside him. Juza gently picked him up and held him close. Was it the dream again? It couldn't be. Kazunari wasn't calling out for help. Kazunari was right beside him. Juza covered both his and Kazunari's eyes as the light was blinding.

It left him and Kazunari sitting before the tree standing tall with pink and gold leaves. Were those it's natural colors or something else? He had seen them in the previous dream in white and purple and in person they were all green. He moved to stand up only to feel the ground tremble and knock him off balance. Kazunari finally woke up, finding himself being pressed against something.

 _"You...?"_ he said surprise.

 _"Kazunari! You're awake, thank god. What's going on here? The ground is shaking so much and the leaves are a different color."_ said Juza in a panic.

 _"It's... No..."_ Kazunari whispered, reaching out towards the tree.

Juza was sent back as a white bolt of light hit the tree, revealing the flaming tree he had come to know. Kazunari started to weep.

 _"Oi, get ahold of yourself! Explain what's going on!"_ Juza pleaded, gently shaking Kazunari.

 _"I've... I've got to find it..."_ Kazunari whispered, freeing himself from Juza's hold.

 _"Kazu, don't go any closer!"_ Juza shouted, chasing after him.

Kazunari started to glow. He grabbed hold of him and ran back. It couldn't end like this. What did he have to find?

 _"Help me... find it... before..."_ Kazunari weakly whispered before combusting.

Juza grabbed at his particles as the tree sucked them in. A pulse of magic was shot out, much stronger than before. He only caught a glimpse of the sky before he blacked out.

...  
....  
.....

Juza shot up and collided heads with Aoi. They rubbed their foreheads as they apologized.

"Is everything okay...? You were fussing so much in your sleep... I was worried." said Aoi, gently caressing his cheek.

"Where's Kazunari?" he asked, jumping out of bed.

Aoi visibly tensed. It was like that day on Earth all over again. All he had on his mind was Kazunari. Juza was treating him like a side character, an extra.

Juza burst into Kazunari's room and saw him sound asleep. He jumped onto the bed and tried numerous ways to wake him. He didn't budge. He moved to blow in his face once more until someone had tackled him to floor.

"What are you doing!?" she shrieked.

"Wait, don't misunderstand!" said Juza quickly as she looked ready to eat him alive.

Kazunari sat up in bed in a daze. A minute passed until he came to life.

"Oh, what are you two doing?" he asked curiously.

"He was trying to seduce you while you were unconscious! I stopped him." she said triumphantly.

"You've got the wrong idea! I was just trying to wake him up!" Juza fussed, squirming in her hold.

"Did you need me for something?" asked Kazunari in confusion.

"Did you hear anything last night?" he asked.

"Yeah... how did you know?" asked Kazunari a bit scared.

"That was me! We were communicating in the dream realm!" said Juza.

Kazunari pursed his lips. The girl pushed off of Juza and left the room.

"I feel like you're really trying to force this now..." Kazunari said in a low tone.

"I'm not! Just listen and give in to your subconscious tonight. Please!" Juza begged.

"If I agree, will you stop bugging me about this dream stuff?" he asked.

"Only if it's really not you." said Juza with a grin.

Kazunari sighed then pulled the sheets over his head. It wasn't everyday you met a grass elf claiming to have a dream about you. It was also surprising to see someone drag out a pickup line this long. The effort was admirable.

"Hey, can we go on a walk together? Just us?" Juza asked, wanting to know more about him.

"Alone? You really want to win me over don't you?" said Kazunari in awe.

"I wasn't flirting with you." deadpanned Juza.

"Really? Guess I've been reading things wrong." said Kazunari, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Alright, let's go then."

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Kazunari's wings gently moved as they walked in silence. He did say he wanted to get to know him, but most things ultimately went back to the massacre.

"You can ask anything. Don't worry if it subtly brings up the bloody past." said Kazunari before laughing. "Get it? Bloody past?"

"Haha, yeah. So um, do you have any fun activities that you like to do? Or did?" he asked.

"Acting is a secret passion of mine. I'm not extremely good at it, but it's enough to be a good supporting cast member. I sing too as it might be necessary in a play." said Kazunari, remembering the old days. "It'd be a lot a fun to act with everyone again."

"I'm into acting too! My cousin and his friends say I really suck, but I've been getting better!" said Juza, moving in front of Kazunari to recite his lines.

Kazunari chuckled heartily as Juza's acting was indeed bad. It really was like he was back in the theater in Villa. Even if he shared his passion, he couldn't let Juza stay. He was going to open wounds he had closed for his friends.

"So, how long do you plan to stay here...?" Kazunari asked.

"Are we bothering you? I'm so sorry, uh, we can find somewhere else to stay and come over to visit." said Juza with a smile.

He had to be direct, otherwise he wouldn't truly get it.

"Look, we're all happy to have you here and all but, I don't want you hanging around anymore. It's fine if you bring up the past around me, but I don't want them to remember it if you accidentally let it slip." said Kazunari, his cheerful demeanor gone. "I'm asking nicely. I don't want to get forceful."

Juza blinked in silence before walking away. Kazunari bit his lip as he kept his back turned to Juza. This was the best way to protect them.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Aoi looked at Juza who had been quiet ever since coming back. He was thankful that Juza wanted to leave, but he was hoping to see a more happy Juza.

"What's wrong? Aren't you happy? The tree is fine and Kazunari is too." said Aoi, his wings fluttering in glee.

"The dream came again, but different... Nothing has been solved." he mumbled, trembling at the memory of the pulse of magic. "I failed..."

"You didn't. You answered his call and met him. The dream doesn't mean anything." said Aoi, disliking he was so fixated on the dream.

"I hope you're right..." whispered Juza.

The colors continued to flip around them as they made their way back to Villa.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

"So, you met him." said Shion. they nodded. "You had another dream where the magic was stronger this time as well?"

They nodded. Shion hummed while in thought before hitting the both of them.

"That man may be a key to something good or bad and you just LEFT him!?" Shion barked angrily. "What kind of idiot has a foreboding dream and thinks it's okay to just up and leave!?"

"Actually... he asked me to." Juza confessed, looking down at the ground. "He didn't want them to accidentally overhear us talking about the past. He wanted them to forget."

Everyone fell silent. They couldn't fault Kazunari for wanting to protect the rest of his kind.

"Well, despite him denying everything, I convinced him to listen and give into his subconscious tonight to prove whether or not he's sending me the distress calls." said Juza with a smile.

"Yakumo and I will get started on dream research concerning butterflies." said Shion, leading Yakumo down the hidden stairway.

Aoi reached to comfort Juza who moved out of his reach by standing up and walking out. He followed after Juza, wanting to be there for him.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Kazunari turned off his light and lied in the darkness.

_"Give into your subconscious."_

He was reluctant to do so as it wasn't much of a friendly voice he heard. It sounded strangled, beaten, distorted. He opened his eyes, finding himself resisting. He sighed. Why was he going along with Juza's whims? He wasn't sending out any distress signals. He'd remember if he did. He closed his eyes again. He'd give in to prove himself right.

Kazunari's body shook as the horrid voice grew louder. He wanted to scream. The voice soon disappeared and he found himself drifting off.

He found himself waking up next to Juza who was still unconscious. Why was Juza in his dream? Was it because he was feeling guilty for sending him away? He crawled onto Juza then repeatedly hit his cheek with his small hand. His wings fluttered quickly as Juza started to stir.

 _"Juza...?"_ he softly called out.

 _"Kazu...? Is it you, Kazu?"_ Juza asked, referring to the one he met in person.

 _"You've met another me?"_ he asked in confusion.

 _"Yeah... It's was you, but your words always came out in pieces... You rarely finished a sentence. It was like you were there but not."_ explained Juza, remembering how he acted.

 _"I see..."_ muttered Kazunari just before the scene became bright and they were now sitting before the tree.

 _"This... this is the same as yesterday..."_ Juza muttered, crawling away from the tree with Kazunari in tow.

The trees leaves were pink and gold this time as well. The ground started to tremble, preventing either of them from walking.

 _"What happens after this...?"_ Kazunari asked worriedly, clinging to Juza for dear life.

 _"Well, you were saying something about having to find something and then the tree gets struck by some white light. Then you took off towards it afterwards like you were being drawn to it."_ said Juza before the white light hit the tree dead on.

Kazunari stared in horror as the inside could now be seen ablaze. He felt pity for Juza for having to rewatch the scene countless times. His body started to move on its own, pulling him off of Juza. He felt Juza hold onto him, only to be dragged towards the tree as well.

 _"Wha- What happens now...?"_ he asked in a panic.

 _"You glow..."_ said Juza and Kazunari's body did just that. _"...and combust..."_

Juza watched in silence as the dream played out once more. What did they need to find? Was it the key to stopping what happens? The tree sent out it's usual pulse of magic, even stronger than the last time. Juza coughed hard as it had knocked the wind out of him. He gripped the grass under him, wondering why the dream wasn't ending like it usually did.

He looked back at the tree that seemed to be pulsating like a heart. He moved to sit up, only for the tree to force him back down and knock him unconscious.


	6. Misplaced Hate

"Hey, where are you going!?" she shouted, chasing after him.

"Don't follow me! There's something I need to know!" Kazunari responded, flying faster.

She came to a stop as she watched him leave her sight. He was being foolish. Going back to Villa after all this time was sure to cause problems, mostly for him.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Aoi snuggled into Juza's lap as they listened to Shion's report about how dreams and shared dreams worked. Soon a shriek could be heard outside. They all headed out and saw people running and flying away from the entrance of Villa.

Juza hurried ahead then stopped as he saw what they were running away from. His body acted before his mind could catch up.

"H- Hey! Where are you taking me?" he asked, trying to pull Juza off of him.

Juza jumped off the edge with Kazunari. Kazunari's wings instinctively opened and kept them from falling to their deaths. Kazunari let go of Juza once his feet touched the ground.

"What the hell was that about?" he asked, allowing himself to land.

"Why did you come here? Aren't you the one who wanted to forget everything? Yet you came strolling in like you still had a home." fussed Juza, completely baffled by his thought process. "What if the officials were out and about? They'd kill you on the spot!"

"I'm confused okay!? With that horrid voice in my head, that dream the night before, everything! What am I supposed to do? Who am I?" Kazunari shouted, his peaceful state of mind now disturbed by numerous questions.

Juza silently grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him into a blind spot as people had started searching for them. He turned his attention back to Kazunari who covered his ears as he silently cried. The voice that only plagued him during sleep was now doing so in broad daylight. Why wouldn't it shut up? What was it? Juza took his hands and had him meet his eyes.

"Try breathing with me. Focus on me and only me, okay?" said Juza, having faced a similar situation back home.

Kazunari breathed along with Juza, never breaking eye contact. The voice in his head became quieter with each deep breath before he couldn't hear it anymore. Did Juza have magical powers?

"There they are!" a voice said, causing Kazunari to pull away and flee.

"Wait, Kazu! They aren't bad people!" he shouted, chasing after him.

Kazunari stopped and saw Aoi among them. He lowered himself back to the ground. He fell on all fours, worn out from all the flying he's had to do since leaving the comforts of home. Juza gently patted his back as he regained his breath.

"So this is Kazunari... His wings really are splendid." said Shion, gently feeling his wings. "He finally experienced the dream with you, right?"

"Right... I don't know what changed, but that just confirmed he was the one I've been seeing in my dreams." said Juza, letting Kazunari use him for support.

"I don't know what's going on... I honestly don't. I just... I know nothing..." said Kazunari, holding his head.

"Relax. Take your time in remembering." said Shion with a smile.

"Do they really have that kind of time? Never know when that white light will hit." said Yakumo with a smirk.

Shion scolded him as Kazunari had started becoming jittery again. What was his connection with the flaming tree? What did he need to find? Why was his subconscious desperately asking for help? What was the voice in his head?

"Is there anything you want to share with us?" Shion asked curiously, noticing his eyebrows were knitted.

"There's a voice... it's so disgusting... and loud. It's in my head when I try sleeping, but now... it's bothering me while awake." mumbled Kazunari, hiding his face in Juza's shoulder.

"A voice? Could you describe it?" he asked, having Yakumo listen as well.

"It's like a mixture of things... it sounds strangled, distorted and beaten. It's so loud I can't hear myself think." continued Kazunari, remembering a few sleepless nights.

Aoi fumed as Juza babied the endangered Kazunari. He inserted himself in between them, making sure Kazunari knew who Juza belonged to. Yakumo watched in amusement as Aoi continued to be jealous. It was no surprise Juza was taken by Kazunari. He had good looks, was a rare breed, and was currently going through something scary with him unlike Aoi. Years had nothing on impactful memories and actions.

"Yakumo, what do you make of the voice?" Shion asked, having looked through the book on dreams.

"Dunno. It's the first time I'm hearing of it." he replied, watching Kazunari walk around with his arms wrapped around him. "Maybe if we had more info on his kind."

Kazunari started to think back to the dream and what Juza told him. He needed to find something. What exactly was the question. His body shivered at the memory of him combusting. He started wracking his brain for anything and everything. What? What did he need to find? Was it an object? An animal? Another species?

He couldn't search around Villa, at least not with his wings visible. Villa had to hold a clue somewhere. He looked behind him and decided to speak up.

"I don't know for sure, but maybe something in Villa could be a clue to figuring things out. Could you look around since I can't?" asked Kazunari with clasped hands.

"You think it'll work? Where did you live and usually hang out?" Shion asked, ready to write down places.

He started listing off places he frequented. Shion nodded then had Yakumo go ahead and start searching. Shion crouched beside Kazunari who still seemed troubled.

"Hey, I know this is going to sound scary but, maybe you should try and see what the voice wants?" Shion suggested. "Obviously don't listen if it wants you to do bad things."

"But... it's scary. What if it consumes my mind?" Kazunari asked worriedly.

"I'm sure Yakumo and Aoi can find something to help you. We're all here for you, especially Juza. He's the one who decided we all come here to seek you out." he said with a smile.

Kazunari looked back at Juza who was currently being carried in Aoi's arms up in the air. Ever since he met him, Juza's been nothing short of kind and thoughtful.

"What is he...?" Kazunari whispered.

"Your saving grace." Shion joked. "In all seriousness, for as long as I've known him, he's a real sweetheart and genuinely wants those around him to be happy. He's a good friend."

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Yakumo came back holding something. Everyone waited for its introduction.

"It wasn't easy to get, but here. Cover his wings with these." said Yakumo, handing the other to Aoi.

Shion felt his pockets then produced a bit of makeup. Kazunari avoided the strange items until Juza kept him still. If Juza deemed it necessary, then he'd let Shion do his thing.

"Perfect. You look a bit different." said Shion with a thumbs up.

"I checked out a few of the places, some don't exist anymore or are under a new name." said Yakumo, carrying Shion. "I suggest you, Kazunari, stay quiet as we go around. It'll be better that way."

Kazunari felt Juza hold his hand the moment they landed at Villa's entrance. No one recognized him. He was relieved in a way. Aoi separated their hands, his own holding theirs. Kazunari immediately let go of his hand, finding it unusually cold.

"So, our first stop has been renamed. Remember anything?" Yakumo asked.

"No..." said Kazunari with a sigh.

They kept walking around, visiting spots he had been in the past. The moment they arrived at the small park, Kazunari had thrown himself onto the ground, covering his ears. Juza was by his side while the others assured passerby he was okay.

"It's back! It's so loud! It's so angry!" Kazunari said loudly, unable to hear.

"You don't have to shout. I'm right here." Juza whispered.

"What!?" Kazunari shouted.

Juza carried him away from the park and Kazunari was thankful to be able to hear again. He quickly told Juza what had happened as he pulled away.

"Shion told me to listen and see what it wants... but... what if it wants to make me a bad person?" Kazunari asked, feeling vulnerable. "There's no way I could counteract that..."

"It's not much but, I can stay by your side if that could provide some comfort. Or maybe I could hold you?" Juza suggested knowing he was basically powerless.

"That'd be nice..." Kazunari mumbled before walking back with Juza.

Juza wrapped his arms around Kazunari as they sat in the park. Aoi wanted to interject but Shion held him back. Everyone kept their eyes on Kazunari as his head drooped.

"I hope he's okay... he really sounded scared of the voice." Shion commented, patting Kazunari's leg.

Juza gave his hand a squeeze, letting him know he was there.

"Is he really hearing a voice? He isn't just messing with us?" Aoi spat.

"We can't prove nor deny its existence. If you don't want to work with us, you're free to leave. However, I suggest you think about Juza and how he feels. You know him best, right?" said Shion, keeping his eyes peeled for strange movements.

Kazunari turned, his body seeking out the warmth its been feeling for a while. Juza smiled softly, rubbing his thumb over the palm of his hand. Kazunari's eyes snapped open.

"How'd it go?" asked Juza.

Kazunari looked and saw the others staring at him with interest. He looked back at Juza before leaving the safety of his arms and pulling him up into the air.

"Kazu-" Juza managed to say before Kazunari flew off with him.

"Aoi, go catch up with him!" Yakumo shouted, having to get Shion situated in his arms.

"Leave me and go after him. Something's up." he said, sending Yakumo off.

He caught up with Aoi who floated in the air by the entrance of Villa.

"Where is he?" Yakumo asked, shaking Aoi's arm.

"He's disappeared." Aoi mumbled.

"Disappeared? Impossible, we don't know magic like that. Did he open a portal to the human world?" Yakumo pressed.

"He disappeared..." Aoi repeated, the memory flashing through his mind.

He quietly stared as the memory replayed, Juza trying to communicate with Kazunari before they suddenly disappeared when a glitch like thing occurred in the air.

"Kazunari's a monster..." Aoi whispered, feeling fear well up inside him.


	7. Ch7

**a few (Rona) days later...**

Juza groaned in pain, finally coming to. He opened his eyes and sat up, finding himself in a different place than what he's seen. The colors of the world continued to fluctuate between dark and bright. He didn't see Kazunari or anyone for that matter. He crawled over to water he assumed was water. He didn't have a reflection. Juza dipped a finger in and found it to be wet like water but rather warm.

"Kazu?" he called out, finally standing up and deciding to look around. "Are you here?"

He walked around, wondering where he ended up. The last thing he remembered was Kazunari flying out of Villa with him. He leapt over fallen trees and avoided high dirt hills in fear of something attacking him. The deathly silence only made him more anxious to be alone.

"Anyone?" he called out in a trembling voice.

He jumped out of his skin at the sound of a low growl. It didn't sound friendly. He quickly ducked behind a rock and kept an eye out for the growling beast.

A small, scaled animal walked out from between the trees. It was god damn adorable. As much as he wanted to baby it, he knew nothing of its diet. It sniffed around before looking in Juza's direction. Did it notice him? The low, bloodthirsty growl came out of the small animal before it charged towards him.

Juza quickly ran, hoping to get to higher ground. Soon his legs were no longer touching the ground and dangling from up above. He looked up and saw who had saved him.

"Kazunari! I've been looking everywhere for you!" he exclaimed, mostly thrilled to have been saved.

"We need to find the key." said Kazunari, his gaze straight ahead.

"The key? Do you remember something?" Juza asked in excitement.

"I remember it all. Let's get somewhere safe though before I tell you." replied Kazunari, picking up his pace.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Kazunari sat beside Juza who looked at him expectantly.

"First things first, I won't allow any help from anyone other than you and my friends. No one can be trusted." said Kazunari.

"But my friends-" Juza started but was silenced by Kazunari.

"We, meaning my kind, were made to take the blame for their mistakes and wrongdoings. It worked since we already had labels on us. People didn't understand how we operated. We slept during the day and played all night, our magic had wider ranges and had important rituals to perform. They labeled us 'Pipevine'." Kazunari explained, telling Juza all that his mind had suppressed to keep him safe. "The younger generation, mine going down, never understood the purpose of the rituals. Apparently they were important and now without them, the world's become like this."

Juza looked around at the alternating times of day. It started to make sense why Kazunari was able to keep the time of day constant when they first met.

"So, what happens if things continue like this?" asked Juza a bit concerned.

"Dunno... we never really paid our elders attention. You know how the youth are sometimes. And because of that, we the remaining don't know how to fix this." said Kazunari, putting his head in his hands. "And that goes for the key too. They always made sure to remind us but we really took everything for granted. I'm so stupid."

Juza remained silent. He did agree with Kazunari for being too laid back and taking things for granted, but it wasn't completely his fault. He opted for rubbing his back to comfort him.

"Yakumo told me any and all information about you guys was burned and wiped... All we found so far was a single sheet of paper that had other butterflies like you on it. They weren't headshots, they were lying down." said Juza, wondering what was going on in the photos.

"They what? Do you still have it?" Kazunari asked, shaking Juza by his shoulders.

"No, my friend has it. We'd have to go back." said Juza with a frown. "Wait! That song from before!"

"Song? What song?" asked Kazunari, not following.

"Remember when we first met? You started flying and singing." Juza explained, only remembering the tune. He hummed it, hoping Kazunari would remember. "Ring a bell?"

Kazunari thought before belting out a song he felt sounded similar. Juza's eyes widened. The song was the exact same. He looked around and saw a small section of where they sat become constant. Kazunari stopped and soon the colors started changing again.

"Huh... I never knew. I just assumed it was a song my mom sang just to get me to sleep." muttered Kazunari, saying the words in his mind.

"Teach me the words, please? It's a really nice song." said Juza with a smile.

Kazunari swung his legs back and forth as he taught Juza the words. He chuckled happily as Juza stumbled on some of the words as they enjoyed themselves.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

"Do you know where we are?" Juza asked, looking up at Kazunari.

"Not really... I've been places but this is new to me." said Kazunari, wondering as well.

"Can you see how far we are from Villa or where you call home?" Juza asked, slowing to a stop so they could figure out where to go.

Kazunari flew above the trees and looked around. He noticed a few green trees far in the distance. He floated back down to see Juza missing.

"Juza? Don't tell me you want to play hide and seek." Kazunari yelled, not really in the mood to play.

"Help!" he heard Juza shouted, frantically waving his arms as he was being carried in a wild creature's mouth.

Kazunari flew in front of it then put his hands up. The creature slowed down then stepped back. Juza was yet again impressed by how they were able to befriend such mean looking creatures.

"Drop it." Kazunari demanded, glaring at it.

It let Juza go then fell onto it's side. Kazunari smiled happily as he started to scratch, earning pleased sounds from it.

"You've dealt with this kind of creature before?" Juza asked in awe.

"Well when you live in the wild where you have to survive..." said Kazunari, landing on the ground. "Hey, do you think you can lead me to this scent?"

Juza watched as Kazunari let it sniff his bag before sitting down and allowing them to climb into its back. Kazunari offered Juza his hand, helping him up. Juza held on tightly to Kazunari as the beast sped down the forest path.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

The creature came to a stop in a place Juza had recognized. The others had come out, wondering what all the noise was.

"Kazu! You're okay!" she exclaimed, flying up and hugging him tight.

"Ah, you're going to crush me to death." Kazunari wheezed as he pried her off. "Anyway, I have important news."

Juza watched the beast leave as Kazunari discussed what he remembered. They listened intently as Kazunari stressed certain points he wanted them to know.

"I've been trying to keep you all from remembering, but this is too important to ignore. Rina, did your parents ever sing the song to you?" Kazunari asked, referring to the one winged little girl.

"No... My dad said he would teach me the next day but..." she said, referring to the massacre.

"Don't worry, we'll teach you." she said, leading the little girl off to the side to learn.

"I'll ask around in case anyone was close with our predecessors." the guy said before taking off.

"Wow... Will you four be enough?" Juza asked, remembering it was supposed to be a ritual. "Seeing what you've done just alone by singing didn't seem like enough..."

Kazunari pursed his lips, well aware of that. He wouldn't have minded doing his own research but he and Juza had a key to find. He personally didn't want to go back anywhere near the tree, but for sake of figuring things out, he had to.

"Juza, lets go to that tree. There isn't much but maybe now that I remember, the tree might tell me something." said Kazunari, having hope.

Juza felt Kazunari pick him up and head off in the direction of the tree. He quietly looked at him, completely surprised by his 180 turn in personality. Sort of. Compared to before, he was more serious.

"Hey, Kazu... would you have preferred if you didn't remember everything...?" Juza asked quietly.

"I would've remembered eventually, but things might've been too late at that point." said Kazunari, noticing they were getting closer.

Kazunari put Juza down as he wouldn't be able to fly properly once they got closer. Juza saw the tree then looked at Kazunari who seemed to be in pain.

"Maybe I should just go... you look really uncomfortable." muttered Juza.

"I'm fine. It's just a slight headache." mumbled Kazunari, rubbing his head.

Soon they were standing before the tree they've seen in their dreams multiple times. The leaves were yellow.

"They aren't green anymore...? Is that bad? Say it isn't bad." asked Juza, looking at Kazunari.

"I don't know... I haven't been over here in ages. Though, Rina said she's always remembered the leaves being green." Kazunari replied, approaching the tree.

He placed his hands against it but felt nothing. He slowly started to dig around the base of the tree, often stopping due to his headache. Juza started to help, feeling bad for him.

"A few roots are black... that's not good." Kazunari whispered after some time.

"Which makes finding the key that much more important." said Juza.


	8. Ch8

Kazunari and Juza stood underneath the entrance to Villa. Kazunari was adamant on stay out and for good reason.

"Okay then just carry me up there and stay hidden." said Juza.

Kazunari picked him up bridal style then dropped him on his rear once they reached the top. He needed to meet up with the others and see if they dug up anything new.

He found himself standing in front of the familiar two story home. The door open before he could knock and he was instantly pulled in.

"You're okay! How did you get away?" Aoi asked worriedly.

"Guys, I came here to see how much you've researched. Things aren't quite dire, but they could get there. Please say you've found something." Juza begged, pushing Aoi aside once more.

Aoi snapped. He tackled Juza to the floor and pinned him down.

"Me or Kazunari?" he asked, his nails digging into Juza's skin.

"Aoi, what are you doing? Let me go!" he fussed.

"Who the hell is your partner, Juza?! Me or that going extinct Kazunari!?" Aoi shouted, needing an answer.

"You are. You always have and will be." whispered Juza.

"You don't act like it. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Ever since that asshole came to you in a dream, it's always been him. I'm a fucking afterthought. Why don't you pay me attention like you do him? I'M your partner, treat me the best!" Aoi shouted, tears streaming down his cheeks. "It hurts..."

"So you're okay with possibly letting your world collapse because you want attention? You're okay with the possibility of lives being lost because you want to be number one and take up all my time?" Juza asked in a calm voice. "You're okay with becoming a murderer?"

Aoi fell silent as he loosened his grip on Juza. Juza gently pushed him aside before heading downstairs.

"I heard some shouting. Is the missus alright?" Yakumo asked, nestling his head on Shion's shoulder.

"So, anything new, Shion?" asked Juza, avoiding the question.

"Well, we finally got into the computer thing and just now started going through everything. Ah, something label 'pipevine'. Hoping it's got info." said Shion opening it.

A few photos and one document appeared. He started with the document.

"It's detailing their plan to attack 'pipevine' during their Bababava ritual... The hell is that...?" Shion asked, looking at Yakumo.

"I was but a wee butterfly when the purge happened. And as I mentioned before, son of an official so I never interacted with them." said Yakumo with an apologetic look. "Aoi wouldn't know either. He was practically a baby around then."

The two humans mulled it over, wondering how aging worked in Rona. Shion shook his head, looking through the photos. They were like X-rays almost. How much did the officials know about those labeled "pipevine"? He started looking through other files, hoping to find something.

"Hey, open that one." said Yakumo finding it vaguely familiar. Shion opened it and various documents and photos appeared. "I knew it. This is where my predecessor stored their info on events and holidays. That Bababava thing might be in here."

Shion scrolled as he opened and closed documents, figuring the photos would come after it.

"This!" Shion exclaimed, finding bits of information in a document. "Is there a way to get this onto paper?"

Shion let Yakumo handle the rest, finally being able to breathe a sigh of satisfaction and relief.

"Why don't you take a break? You've been working hard for a while." Juza suggested, pulling him out of his seat.

"I guess I deserve one." said Shion, climbing up the stairs.

Juza quietly looked about the room, noticing Aoi was gone. He kind of expected it, seeing as how they fought. Shion took his hand and led him out the house. Not many were out and about, meaning their internal clocks noticed it was time to sleep.

"Have you ever wanted to be a butterfly like Aoi? Able to go in and out of worlds and have a bunch of friends who you could relate to easily?" Shion asked as they walked around.

"A few times... but I have parents, a little brother and cousin who love me exactly the way I am. Sure, it's lonely not really having someone to call a friend, but like they say 'the night is darkest before the dawn'." said Juza, a small smile on his face.

Shion quietly opened up to Juza more about his somewhat lonely childhood and his inability to really make any friends due to how he came off to others. When he had finally come to see Yakumo, naturally he was surprised but saw it as a opportunity to gain a friend.

"We didn't really get along at first, believe it or not. I thought he was untamable until one night he got himself caught in the garbage disposal. He's been glued to me ever since then." said Shion with a few giggles. "He may act the way he does but he truly means well. Most of the time."

"How'd he get stuck in it?" Juza asked, curious as to how he could mess up that badly.

"He dropped my ring in it. He was trying to secretly clean it." Shion responded, still touched by the gesture. "I'm just glad nothing bad happened."

They reached the entrance of Villa and it was then Juza remembered Kazunari. Calling out to him wasn't a good call, but neither was jumping down and hoping something broke his fall.

"Is there something down there?" Shion asked curiously.

"Someone is. Kazunari. I can't wait to tell him the news. Ah, but I came here with the intention of finding the missing key." said Juza, looking back at Shion.

"What does it look like?" he asked.

"We don't know. I figured if it was kept anywhere, it had to be here in Villa where they spent their last moments." said Juza as he walked away from the edge. "I don't think it's a literal key, more like an object. Something related to them but also inconspicuous."

"I can have Yakumo look into it. He might know some other names they might've gone by." Shion reasoned as he walked ahead.

Juza moved to follow only to feel something grab his ankle.

"Kazu?" he whispered, crouching down.

"Any clues to the key's whereabouts?" Kazunari whispered.

"No, but was the ritual your predecessors performed to keep balance called Bababava?" Juza asked.

"Sounds about right to me. Do you have info on it?" Kazunari pressed.

"Yep. Hopefully it's been put on paper by now. I promise I'll keep looking for key clues, so why don't you go home for now and get some rest?" Juza suggested, starting to notice he looked a bit tired.

"No, I can't just leave... I need to get in here, but my wings..." he muttered, gently touching them.

It was then Juza had a risky idea.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

"A rare breed has graced us with its presence." Yakumo sneered.

"Show me everything you've got on us." he demanded, unzipping Juza's jacket and letting his wings breathe.

Shion and Yakumo pulled out everything, giving their own thoughts on the documents they uncovered.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Aoi sniffled as he sat on a rock. He wasn't being selfish. He didn't intend to sound selfish. He just wanted Juza to interact with him like he's always done. He looked to his side and saw a turquoise and black flower blooming underneath the grass. He reached to pick it then stopped.

"Why is he everywhere I go..." Aoi said, half angry half sad.

He pushed the rock over it before leaving. The flower's color slowly started fading.


	9. Ch9

Kazunari walked around Villa, trying to act as normal as he could. He was upset, that much was true. Here these people were, carrying on with their lives as if their glorified leaders didn't purge an entire race. He wasn't one to seek out revenge, but he did wish bad things upon them daily. He found himself passing by a familiar park.

Of course it was familiar, it was where he had regained his memories. Memories of the rituals, his time spent playing with others, failed romances. He decided to take a trip down memory lane and walk through it. He was forced to stop as a pained noise rang in his ears. No one was around. It sounded again, this time more guttural and choked.

He looked around, trying to find the source. A small light came from underneath a rock. He moved it and saw a crushed, discolored flower. He no longer heard the pained sounds, but it was obvious it was coming from the flower. Kazunari gently touched it, wondering if it was possible for a flower to suddenly lose color, seeing as the others around it were still fluctuating.

Juza quietly watched from afar, worried that Kazunari might run into trouble alone. Yakumo had tagged along upon request from Shion.

"So, what's Kazu got that Aoi doesn't, hm?" Yakumo asked.

"Huh? I don't understand." Juza responded, keeping his eyes on Kazunari.

"I'm saying, what about Kazunari is attractive to you?" asked Yakumo with an intrigued grin.

"Why are you asking something like that now of all times? The fate of your world rests in our hands, that's what's important right now." said Juza, before finally making his way over to Kazunari. "Is that a flower?"

"Oh, Juza. Yes, it's flower but, there's something wrong with it..." muttered Kazunari, pointing out things he's noticed. "It's not making pained noises, but it's been really silent."

"It was making noises?" Juza asked in confusion, knowing he didn't hear anything.

"Yeah... I wish I knew healing magic, maybe then we could save it." said Kazunari then gasped. "It's... it's dissolving?"

Yakumo hurried over then put the withering flower in a bubble.

"That should hold it for a while." said Yakumo, not too thrilled about having to be nice. "We need to find Aoi if you want this thing to live."

"How do you know...?" Juza asked in surprise.

"Our wing colors may vary greatly, but usually those with lighter wing colors know healing magic." said Yakumo as he handed the bubble to Kazunari. "However, that doesn't apply to people like him."

Yakumo poked Kazunari's chest before walking away. He envied them. He wanted a unique power like them. Yet he had to be born normal.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Aoi was nowhere to be found. Where could he have disappeared to? Kazunari took off Juza's jacket as his wings felt suffocated. He quietly stretched them out while Yakumo, Juza and Shion discusses Aoi's whereabouts. He looked out the window, wondering what Aoi was really like as he never really got the chance to befriend him.

Most of the time he was trying to separate him and Juza. Then it hit him. Why he was always frowning, why he constantly saw a need to get in between them.

"Juza, is Aoi in love with you?" Kazunari asked, keeping his gaze outside.

Everyone turned at Kazunari's question. Juza was now in the spotlight.

"In love? I don't think so. Why is everyone asking me about Aoi and romantic feelings?" asked Juza, clearly confused.

"Don't you remember how he always got in between us? And always had a frown on his face? It's obvious he doesn't like me either." Kazunari mentioned, finally looking at Juza.

"Didn't you two argue yesterday? What was it about?" Shion commented, remembering.

Juza's face told him everything he needed to know. It was about him. And because of him, the flower was going to completely disappear. He quickly threw the jacket on and raced out the house. He had to fix this.

"Kazu, wait!" Juza shouted but was held back by Shion.

"I sent Yakumo after him. I know, he doesn't seem like the best especially with his track record, but he really comes through for me." said Shion with a smile.

"Can we really trust him? He's... Yakumo." said Juza with concern.

"Yep. If he doesn't deliver, he'll get punishment." said Shion, pushing him inside.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Yakumo quietly watched Kazunari from afar as he searched around for Aoi. He had a guess as to where Aoi disappeared to. A lot of butterflies frequented the lake west of Villa if they were under a lot of stress. It was pretty good place to unwind and leave with a clear mind. Would he be kind enough to let Kazunari know? Shion wouldn't know if he kept silent.

"Ah, it's starting to dissolve again..." Kazunari muttered, watching the stem slowly start dissolving.

Yakumo sighed then spooked Kazunari from behind.

"What are you doing out here?" Yakumo asked, glancing at the bubble.

"Aoi... maybe he's out here somewhere. We need him..." Kazunari said.

Yakumo could see the sadness in Kazunari's eyes. He sighed then decided to tell him. Kazunari thanked Yakumo before taking off. A part of him hoped Kazunari was successful in getting Aoi to revive the flower.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Aoi popped his head out of the cold water, pushing his hair back. He had to apologize to Juza when he got back. He was being unreasonable. Juza came to help a person who needed it. Yakumo mentioned a pulse of magic in the dream and it continued to persist. It couldn't be anything good.

"Aoi!" a voice shouted.

He looked around and saw Kazunari running towards him from afar. He climbed out of the water and kept himself covered as Kazunari got closer.

"Aoi, I know you don't think highly of me because Juza spends so much time with me, but please, hear me out." said Kazunari, revealing the bubble and the half dissolved flower. "This... can you heal it? It seems really important as it was the only flower that lost its color."

"Where did you find it?" asked Aoi, noticing it looked a little crushed.

"In the small park in Villa. It was crushed under a rock." said Kazunari, frowning at the memory. "It was in pain, gasping for air..."

Aoi froze. He turned and looked at the dissolving flower. In Villa, in the park, under a rock. That was the same flower he had crushed days ago for resembling Kazunari. He wouldn't find out as long as he didn't say anything. It was that simple. Aoi cleared his throat then took the bubble with the flower in it.

"You'll heal it? Thank you so much!" said Kazunari with sparkling eyes. "I promise I'll do anything to thank you for this and make up for lost time with Juza."

"Oh? I'll hold you to that." Aoi responded, before getting to work.

The flower started deteriorating quicker once he started using his magic. He quickly stopped then handed it back.

"Healing doesn't work... What do I do..." Kazunari whispered, feeling defeated.

A pang of guilt went through Aoi's chest. It was his fault the flower was in such a sorry state. It was also a surprise to him as there wasn't a thing or person in the world he couldn't heal. Just as he decided to make a suggestion, Kazunari had already taken off.

"Good going, Aoi. You made his favorite cry." Yakumo teased, spooking Aoi.

"God, could you warn someone?" Aoi fussed as he got dressed. "And Juza doesn't play favorites."

"No. I can already imagine the conversation. Kazu tells Juza that you weren't of any use and Juza comforts him. Then they go off together and try fixing it on their own. I can already predict feelings will bloom." said Yakumo, getting a rise out of Aoi.

"You don't know anything. Why don't you make yourself useful and help out instead of clinging to Shion like a newborn baby." Aoi snapped before heading after Kazunari.

Yakumo kept silent as he followed after Aoi.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Kazunari landed then slowly approached the door. He backed away soon after. He couldn't come back like this. He planned to come back with a happy and healthy flower. Most of the stem had dissolved, closing in on the petals. He hid the bubble in the shrubbery before dashing inside. He soon came out with the information and pictures on the Bababava ritual and picked up the bubble before hurrying on his way.

Shion and Juza chased after him, wondering what had gotten into him. They were closing in on the entrance to Villa.

"Kazu, wait up! At least tell us what's going on!" Juza shouted.

"Working together helps things move faster!" Shion added on.

The duo stopped as Kazunari had jumped off. They peered down and saw he had disappeared. Aoi and Yakumo arrived on the scene, wondering why their partners were staring down below.

"Aoi, I need you." Juza demanded, causing everyone to look at him. "I don't know what's going on with Kazu, but leaving him alone to figure things out isn't going to work."

Yakumo looked at Shion who stayed quiet. What did he want him to do? Soon Aoi and Juza were on their way.

"Shion." he called out. "Shi-"

"I told you to help him. How did things get like this?" Shion asked, his anger and frustration visible. Yakumo tried responding but Shion had continued on. "I didn't ask much of you, yet you act like I'm sending you to hell and back! It's like pulling in teeth with you! How can you expect me to keep treating you like you're a good guy when all you've done is do things to entertain yourself?"

"I really did try helping him. H-" Yakumo said but Shion was already done with him. "Shion!"

"I don't want to hear another word from you. The next word or sound I hear, I will send you to the afterlife." Shion threatened before turning his back to Yakumo.

Yakumo pulled on his wing as he landed. He squeezed his eyes shut as pain coursed through his heart. He felt his cheeks becoming wet. Tears were coming out of his eyes. When was the last time he felt this devastated?

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Kazunari pushed the door open, garnering everyone downstairs. It had finally reached the petals.

"What is that?" Rina asked, poking the bubble.

"I don't know but it's in pain and I need to save it. I tried asking a healer but it just made things worse... I don't know what to do." Kazunari explained, feeling a heavy weight on his shoulders.

"Let me try." he said, making circles on the bubble. The dissolving had started moving extremely slow. "It's working...?"

"Keep at it. Rina, you try something." said Kazunari.

She did circles as well but nothing changed. The other girl took a stab at it. Nothing.

"Tien, is your power healing?" Kazunari asked.

"It's similar... I was working on a concoction for Rina's wing until you came in. Maybe it's that." he mentioned.

Rina hurried to fetch it. She brought it back then opened a hole in the bubble Yakumo made. Tien put a drop inside before Rina closed it. Their eyes widened as the flower slowly started showing signs of life.

"Wait, before we add anymore, how much should we put in at a time?" Lune asked, looking at the others.

"Let's keep it at a drop per person. After seeing this, it's got to be a clue." said Kazunari, watching it writhe around.

They all took turns, each drop bringing back the dissolved parts. This was it. Things were finally looking up after constant failures.


	10. Ch10

The flower soon started to regain color after two whole days of putting a single drop in.

"You all keep going. I need to go check something." said Kazunari, leaving in a hurry.

He had to check on the tree. If the leaves were pink and gold, it would be the worst case scenario. He picked up his pace as he could feel himself nearing the tree. He soon landed, unable to continue flying. He looked up and saw the leaves were all pink. He took that as a bad sign.

"I... I knew I'd... I'd find you... here..." a worn out voice said loudly.

"Juza? Did you run here?" Kazunari asked in disbelief.

Juza collapsed before he could answer. Kazunari was instantly by his side, putting his head on his lap. Did he really run all the way from Villa? It didn't seem likely. But what if he did? He gently stroked Juza's hair as he used his wings to fan him, ignoring his growing headache.

"I've never really found nor had the chance to really say this but... thank you, Juza. For everything. You answered my cry for help when you didn't have to. You aren't afraid to voice your opinions and learn things you don't understand. And you're brave, somewhat. Even after I kept pushing you away, you were determined to help me no matter what..." said Kazunari, his wings trembling. "I really don't deserve such a person like you, not after running away and pretending not to know anything. Acting so cowardly towards my past..."

His wings trembled more as he wiped stray tears. Juza remained still. Kazunari sighed then smiled softly as his wings continued to tremble. It started to concern him. Was it because of the headache? The tree? He looked back at the tree that stood tall and proud, showing off its pink leaves. A voice pulled him out of his thought, causing him to move Juza off his lap and sit farther away.

"Kazunari! Have you seen Juza!?" Aoi shouted from afar.

Kazunari pointed to his side as Aoi approached. He felt his back as his wings had stopped trembling.

"This idiot... I told him I'd carry him but he just took off on his own. Though, I'm glad he didn't pass out completely alone." said Aoi, subtly thanking Kazunari.

"Ah, take care of him." said Kazunari, watching Aoi carry him away. "Why were they trembling so much..."

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Juza opened his eyes then assessed his situation. He was in a room and not by Kazunari's side like he remembered. Aoi entered the room then hurried over with a cup in hand.

"Tien said it'd fix you right up, but you have to drink it all." said Aoi, handing him the cup.

Juza silently took it and downed it in one go. He lied back down then covered himself with the sheets. Aoi found this strange. He was always raring to go after a good rest.

"Is something bothering you...?" Aoi asked softly. No answer. He sighed and figured now was the best time. "Juza, I sincerely apologize for my selfish attitude the other day... I could be endangering lives by keeping you from Kazunari. I was blinded by jealousy and envy... I wasn't thinking."

"It's my fault too. I've been so absorbed in prevention that I didn't make time for you, the one who's always been by my lonely side." Juza muttered.

Aoi hugged Juza's covered body with all the love and affection he could muster. His shoulders and heart felt lighter afterwards.

"Do you mind giving me some alone time? I want to think." said Juza.

Aoi agreed then left the room. He turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling. They solved one mystery, but not the important one that had been plaguing his dreams since day one. They weren't any closer to finding the key. How much time did they have left before the leaves were hold and pink? What color were they now? What would happen if they never found the key? What exactly was that pulse of magic? Juza closed his eyes, silently begging for sleep to consume him and magically provide answers.

Juza woke up surrounded by a dark mist in a bright room. Were they under attack? The mist became thicker. Something hit his head then rolled off to the side. He crawled over to the ball that gave off electric sparks. He felt a few shocks but was okay overall.

It was just a regular ball. Suddenly everything became dark and the mist started to become suffocating. Juza weakly threw the ball which dispersed the mist and revealed the flaming tree on the other side. He ran towards it, the darkness fading and leaving him in the meadow. He noticed the tree was pulsating like in his previous dream. It must be the aftermath.

A strong pulse of magic was emitted from the tree, knocking Juza down and causing everything around him to go still. Leaves and grass stopped blowing, creatures paused mid chase, grass elves standing like statues. He kept running around, trying to figure out what happened next. Soon time started to move again as if it never stopped.

 _"What just happened..."_ he muttered, not feeling any different.

_"F-!"_

...  
....  
.....

Juza woke up just as the door to the room closed. F? F what? What did it stand for? Why did it cut off? No matter how much he tried, he couldn't fall back asleep.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

"You seem rather peppy compared to how you appeared before us." Lune said, twirling her hair.

"The flower's going to live and we'll be able to study it without problems." said Kazunari with a smile.

"Well, yeah. But... I was kind of getting at something else." she said, nudging him.

"I don't really have much to be happy about right now. It's a race against an amount of time that we don't know how much of we have." said Kazunari with a sigh. "How's the ritual coming along?"

"We just need Rina to sing on beat and we're good to go." said Lune. "I saw you enter that guy's room earlier. What for?"

"Just to talk but he was sleep so I left." said Kazunari, playing with his fingers. "I'm going to go check on the tree. Sorry."

She watched Kazunari fly away. He was acting pretty weirdly for a guy who claimed he had nothing to be happy about.

"Hey, have you seen Kazu?" Tien asked.

"Just left. What's up?" she asked, getting to her feet.

"I think I've finally done it. After years, Rina might get her wing back." said Tien with a wide grin.

Lune gasped then gave him a hug in delight.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Kazunari sat in front of the tree that still sported pink leaves. He continued to dig around the roots, noticing more and more had turned black. There were only a few left. They were wasting time by waiting for the flower to be restored when they should be looking for the key. No matter how many times he could say this, it wouldn't get him anywhere. The flower was the only thing. He wrapped his arms around himself, wondering what Juza would do in this situation.

**[Flashback]**

_Kazunari entered the bedroom and saw Juza lying in bed. Was he still sleeping his fatigue off? He sat on the edge of the bed then looked at Juza. He scoffed as he gently pushed his head aside. He chuckled a bit as he pushed his head around. He cleared his throat then fixed his head's position._

_He cupped Juza's cheek and felt spooked as he groaned in response. He pulled away, afraid he had woke him. That wasn't the case._

_"Hey... Can I say something? I don't really want the others to know... I'm scared." confessed Kazunari, running a hand through his hair. "With those dreams... how the tree looks now... no clues on the key's whereabouts... the blackening roots... Everything is falling apart. Everything was so peaceful until you came along. Why did you answer me, huh? Why didn't you just stay away?"_

_Kazunari's body trembled, his wings doing the most amount of trembling._

_"If you just didn't come, we could still be living in ignorance, pretending that the massacre didn't happen with us around. That we just happened to be outcasts. You could be living your normal life with Aoi, Shion and Yakumo. Why, Juza..." Kazunari weeped, constantly wiping his eyes. "What am I supposed to say when we fail? What do I do? You saw how I met my end... I'll never see anyone again..."_

_Kazunari collected himself, drying his face._

_"I don't think I can do this anymore..." said Kazunari as he got up to leave the room._

**[End Flashback]**

He quietly wiped his eye with the back of his hand before sighing heavily. He was going to die. He had to accept that fact. He'd never see Rina grow her wing back, he'd never see his friends find partners and have kids of their own. He'd miss out on life all because he took things for granted.

"Kazu?" a familiar voice called out.

He quickly hid all evidence of having cried. He brushed his hands off and gave Aoi his best smile.

"What's up? I'm just checking the tree." he said nonchalantly.

"I actually wanted to talk to you." said Aoi scratching his neck. "You seem like the best person to talk to about it."

"Well, I'm all ears. Go off." said Kazunari, pushing the dirt back over the roots.

"It's about Juza." said Aoi, his wings fluttering slightly. "I kinda want to do a big gesture for him when all of this is over. I want him to know how much I love him."

Kazunari's hands briefly stopped working before he hummed in understanding.

"A big gesture huh? Are we talking a party or something private?" he questioned.

"Private. It'll be more meaningful that way. What do you suggest for something like that?" asked Aoi curiously. Kazunari mulled it over as his hands mindlessly worked. "Uh, you're digging the dirt back out."

"Huh? Oh, you're right." said Kazunari, laughing loudly. "About that private gesture, I say a simple meal and words from the heart would work. He doesn't seem the type to like lavish things."

"Haha, you're right about that. Thanks for the tips, Kazu." said Aoi with a smile. "Do you need any he-"

"No!" he shouted, spooking Aoi. "I mean, no. I'm okay. Don't mind me."

Aoi quietly flew away. Kazunari sighed heavily, letting his head rest against the tree. He was under too much stress and pressure. He need to unwind and escape, even if just for a while. He stood up and brushed his hands off before walking away. He'd let his legs carry him wherever they wished to go.


	11. Ch11

Everyone was in full panic.

"What do you mean you lost Juza? You can't just lose him!" Aoi fussed, shaking Tien by his shoulders.

"Still no sign of Kazu!" Lune reported and Rina nodding in agreement.

"We all go searching for one and end up losing another in the process." Aoi muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Alright, lets switch up and start searching again."

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Kazunari woke up and found himself in a small crevice in the side of a cliff. The walk was surprising reinvigorating. He looked out and found the area not recognizable. How far did he walk? He started moving, worried that he was worrying his friends. A creature jumped down from up on the cliff, landing just in front of Kazunari. It slowly approached as he tried taming it. It wasn't working.

Kazunari quickly took flight only to be brought back down from a swipe of the creature. He couldn't lift his wing as blood dripped from the wounds. It was serious about making him its meal.

"Well, being eaten would certainly be better... the dream won't come true." said Kazunari making himself open.

The creature stopped advancing. They had a staring contest, the beast backing down first and taking a seat. The second Kazunari moved, it was prepared to pounce on him again. It went back to sitting down once he stood still.

"Are you going to eat me or no...?" asked Kazunari in confusion.

He didn't know what to do. Movement put him in danger, but he couldn't stand forever. He slowly sat down while the beast watched. Kazunari opted to humming a song, seeing it as a pastime until the creature decided to let him go.

Some time had passed and the create finally rose to its feet. It walked over to him then leaned its head forward, closing its eyes. Was it giving him permission to touch it? He slowly reached out his hand then immediately drew back as it opened its eyes.

"Uh... oh!" he said as the beast rubbed its head against him. "I'd really take a liking to you had you not crippled me for a few days."

Kazunari stood up and walked away. The creature followed. He didn't see any point in sending it away as he couldn't fly away from danger like he usually did.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Juza found himself back in front of the tree. It was like a maze to him. He had gotten separated from the others and was unable to make his way out for some reason.

"Are you trapping me here?" Juza fussed, glaring at the tree. "I demand you release me! I have to find Kazunari!"

Naturally the tree didn't respond. He marched off in a huff, knowing for sure this time he'd escape. Minutes later he found himself in front of the tree again.

"What is it? Do I have to pass some test or quiz? Fight a boss or something?" asked Juza, looking around. "I'm waiting!"

Nothing. He sighed heavily then sat underneath the tree. He was probably trapped forever.

"You know, I've had dreams about you. You were hurt by some white light. Then you absorb my friend and send out strong magic pulses. Why?" Juza asked, seeing he couldn't be shamed for talking to a tree if no one was around. "What do you need my friend for?"

Silence. He didn't expect much. He drummed his fingers against his thigh then looked up at the pink leaves.

"Don't you want to be helped? Why not tell Kazunari what you need? That way everyone's happy and I can go home. Not to say I don't like it here. I just feel like my family misses me..." Juza said, thinking of his younger brother especially. "Shion probably misses his too."

Juza looked down at the ground, finding all of this ridiculous. He resorted to conversing with a tree. Was he that desperate?

"I've done some thinking... mostly about what everyone's been talking about lately. Romance. Asking if Aoi was in love with me, if I favored another butterfly over my own, if there was something about said butterfly having something better than my partner. Considering the current situation, it's a stupid thing to worry about. The world could be in danger." said Juza, seeing no point in dwelling over whether he was sane or not for talking to a tree. "But now that I thought more about it, it is pretty relevant. Falling for someone during a time like this could be detrimental, especially if people like the same person. Discord would be created and it'd be hard to get along... things wouldn't get accomplished and plunge plans into ruin. Love is a dangerous weapon."

The leaves rustled in the wind as Juza's hair was tousled. He wasn't certain if what Aoi was feeling for him was romance per se, but his actions since Kazunari came into the picture was the proof in the pudding. He certainly felt something towards him that's he'd go to such lengths to separate them. The question was, how did Kazunari feel? How did he feel?

"I'm glad to have made new friends, especially Kazunari. I wish we were able to meet in better conditions. He's pretty interesting to be around. I sometimes feel guilty for opening his old wounds, but it's cool to hear about his people. It's like finding a lost civilization." said Juza with a smile. "He does mean something to me, so after seeing he'd be swallowed up and eradicated from this world... it hurts. I'd be willing to switch places with him. He has to rebuild his kind from the ground up. Me? I'm just another human."

The leaves rustled again. Juza sighed and stood up. He was going to try again. He jogged towards the west, hoping to make it back to Aoi and the others. A few of the leaves on the tree turned gold.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Kazunari yawned then felt the creature nudge him from behind. It sat down, waiting for him to ride on its back. He quietly climbed onto its back, genuinely surprised by its sweet nature despite being so hostile before. The night was starting to come to an end as his body was feeling sluggish. He scooted forward and draped his arms around it's neck before closing his eyes.

The creature continued to walk, often shifting to keep Kazunari from falling. Kazunari found himself sitting at the table sharing a meal with Juza alone. Music was playing in the background and set a rather romantic tone. He couldn't hear what Juza was saying, but he could definitely feel his touches.

Juza was practically teasing him as he always jumped from his sudden touches on his hands and arms. When they had stopped eating was beyond him, but he was secretly living for it all. It was when Juza kissed the palm of his hand that he realized what the hell was going on. He ran away. He was dreaming of such a cliche romantic scene not to mention with Juza.

It was unheard of. It was stupid. Here he was, the center of a crisis and felt it was okay to aimlessly dream of something sweet and heartwarming. He was going to die. He didn't have the time to indulge in fantasies.

"Hey... could you... eat me?" Kazunari whispered, not wanting to be absorbed by the tree. "I can't let that tree have me."

The creature stopped and looked back at him. Was it considering it? It turned around and kept walking. A bit of his hopes were crushed. At least he was given a chance to say his farewells before he perished.

"You know, I want to be reincarnated into a creature like you. You seem cooler than most I've met. Maybe you could teach me the ropes if it happens?" Kazunari said, already past his death and looking into a future as another being. "Ha, with my luck I might end up a blade of grass."

He chuckled to himself before realizing the scenery seemed familiar. Did it know? He really couldn't escape his fate no matter how much he resisted. His eyes traveled upwards and his pupils dilated. Gold leaves were appearing alongside the pink. He covered his head and screamed. He didn't want to die. Where was the key? What was the key?

The creature growled along with his screaming, creating an awful melody. A wave went through the ground, silencing the beast unbeknownst to Kazunari. He stopped screaming, having regained his composure. The creature let Kazunari off its back before fleeing back into the forest. This was it. It was only a matter of time before the white light came.


	12. Ch12

Juza jogged over to the empty meadow and saw Kazunari sleeping underneath the tree. He quickly headed over and shook his body. It was then he noticed his broken wing.

"Kazu! Kazu, wake up! The tree... don't be anywhere near it!" Juza said, shaking him even more. "You never know when it'll strike."

Kazunari looked up at Juza then flopped back down on the ground. He no longer had motivation. They always said you couldn't escape your fate, no matter how much you resist.

"I don't want to die, Juza... but there's no other option. We have no key and you can't destroy trees. Trust me, someone tried it before and well, lets just say it didn't end well for them." said Kazunari, sitting up then meeting Juza's eyes. "Did you ever find out what happens after the pulse of magic...?"

"Time froze for a bit but, it started up again and everything continued normally." said Juza then remembered. "Someone was going to say something starting with f but it was knocked unconscious."

"F huh... it could be anything. Well thanks for the heads up." said Kazunari then thought. "Time stopped then resumed? With all of that build up the other dreams have us, it's pretty anticlimactic..."

Juza nodded in agreement. Kazunari sighed then touched his hurt wing.

"We should get you back to the others. There's something you actually need to see." said Juza, helping Kazunari up.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Juza opened the door then took him to Tien's room. He wasted no time in whipping something up to heal Kazunari's wing.

"So, what's this thing you have to show me?" he asked as he could feel his wing burning from Tien's work.

Juza walked him over to the window and pointed towards to people. Kazunari squinted then let his mouth fall open. He completely forgot the burning sensation in his wing as he ran outside.

"Rina!" he shouted. She down and happily waved at Kazunari. Tears streamed down his face as he held his arms open. "Your wing... its fixed... How?"

"Tien! It feels so different having both wings, but I like it!" she exclaimed, flapping both of them.

One of the few things he had longed to see had come to fruition. He soon frowned as he wouldn't be able to teach her tricks. He sent Rina off to practice more with Lune.

"Oh, you're back." said Aoi, jogging over to him. "Juza and I came up with an idea. We take you back to Earth with us."

Kazunari blinked rapidly, the thought never having crossed his mind. Would it even work?

"Would I be able to? I don't have a human partner..." he muttered, remembering the rule that was implemented.

"It's worth a shot isn't it? I think we could open a big enough portal for Juza if the four of you plus me put in a hundred percent..." Aoi mumbled, rambling on about effectiveness and accuracy.

"Aoi, I appreciate it, truly... but I don't want to do it if it there's an injury risk." said Kazunari. "Ah, what's the status of the flower?"

"It was healed two days ago. We started researching it but, nothing. It just acts like any other flower other than it dissolving and requiring a specific serum to heal. Oh and it's petals can regrow." said Aoi.

"What happened after you plucked it off?" asked Kazunari now intriguied.

"Uh... we don't know. Juza plucked it off and a minute later it disappeared. He swore he didn't do anything." responded Aoi.

The flower wasn't the key nor a clue. He truly was done for. The sky darkened. Everyone looked up in confusion.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Shion looked out the window and saw the darkening sky. Seeing as how it never grew this dark ever since they arrived, it must be bad news, meaning the boys failed to find the key. What was going to happen to Rona? Would it affect the human world or others? He looked towards Yakumo's room. He had never left his room since he got pissed at him.

He climbed the stairs then knocked on his door before opening it. Yakumo lied motionless in bed.

"Yakumo, I want to talk to you." he said, slowly approaching him. "It's about when I yelled at you."

Silence.

"You can talk back. Where's my usual snarky Yakumo?" he asked, crawling into bed with Yakumo.

"They failed didn't they..." Yakumo mumbled, having sensed a disturbance in the air.

"Judging from the darkening sky... I wonder what happens now." Shion muttered then found himself trapped inside a bubble. "Hey, let me out!"

Yakumo hugged the bubble tight before giving Shion an apologetic look. Shion didn't like that look.

"Yak-" he shouted only to disappear in an instant.

Yakumo snuggled underneath his covers, thankful he was saved the trouble of going to Shion to send him back home safely.

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Everyone huddled together as the sky remained dark. Nothing else was out of the ordinary. At least from what they knew.

"What now? Do we stay here or...?" Lune asked looking around.

The colors of the world continued to fluctuate but at a much faster rate. It was quite unnerving to everyone present. The flower in Juza's hand remained bright throughout it all.

"Kazunari...? Oi, Kazu!" Juza shouted finding his behavior strange. "Where are you going?"

Kazunari quietly walked off in the direction of the tree. Juza held him back his wrist, trying to pull him back. It wasn't working. He suddenly weighed more than a ton of bricks. The others joined in trying to keep Kazunari from walking off. Even their combined efforts weren't enough.

Juza lost his grip and fell back, causing the others to as well. Kazunari had took flight and raced off towards the tree. Juza quickly got up and ran after him. They were going to lose him, _he_ was going to lose him. He wasn't ready to part from him. Kazunari had come to his senses as he stood in front of the tree.

"Oh... oh no..." he whispered, stepping backwards. "I'm not ready..."

"Kazu! Can you run?" Juza shouted.

Kazunari shook his head. He couldn't leave the meadow. Juza entered the meadow as well, wondering what the cause was. He tried pushing him out but to no avail.

"Nothing's happened yet... Maybe there's still time?" Kazunari said, starting to look through the grass.

"Kazu, stop that. We'll just have to see how things go..." Juza muttered, holding the bubbled flower tightly.

They kept their distance from the tree as they eyed it down. Juza placed the flower off to the side, opting for holding onto Kazunari. Then it happened in the blink of an eye. The inside of the tree could be seen burning bright.

"No, no, no. You can't go!" Juza said, holding him tightly.

"What else can we do? We failed to find the key, whatever it was. I didn't die either! Maybe you should kill me." said Kazunari, still skeptical of the whole frozen time bit.

"But that won't solve the tree's problem. And who's to say it still wouldn't absorb your dead body?" Juza countered.

Kazunari sighed then gave Juza's shoulders a squeeze.

"We haven't known each other long, but I never had a dull moment with you. I honestly wish things didn't have to end this way. If I was given the chance, I'd run away to Earth with you, Aoi and your friends." said Kazunari, choosing his words carefully. "Promise me you'll take care of my friends, my last remaining family."

Kazunari bit his lip as his body started to glow. He wondered if things would've turned out this way if Juza never came or he never remembered. Juza held his hands as he had gone back into a trance like state and was being pulled towards the tree as if by an invisible rope. Soon Juza was no longer holding hands but desperately trying to collect Kazunari.

It was just like the dream. The tree pulsated, giving off a dark color. He looked back and saw the flower he had abandoned. He quickly picked it up just as the tree sent out its strong wave of magic. Juza opened his eyes and saw time at a standstill. He looked down at the flower that bore the colors of Kazunari and his friend's wing colors.

What was the point of it all if he couldn't change anything? What was the point in being summoned if he couldn't do a damn thing? It wasn't fair. Kazunari did nothing wrong to deserve a fate like this. Juza quietly rose to his feet as time had started up again.

"Your friends will be lonely without you, their great protector. Everyone who knew you will definitely miss you." said Juza, digging up the dirt in front of the tree. "I'll miss you..."

Juza rubbed his eye before continuing to dig.

"We're the only ones who know you're here, so I promise I'll try to visit a lot so you don't get lonely. I'll make sure to have Earth stories." Juza muttered, his lip trembling as he put the bubbled flower in the hole before filling it up. "So... take care."

Juza walked away with his head hung low. Nothing seemed to have changed other than Kazunari missing. He was soon enveloped in a tight hug from Aoi. The last thing he wanted to do at that moment was talk about what just happened.

"I asked Tien if he could make a serum to take you home. Here." said Aoi, having it snatched from his hand. Juza soon disappeared from sight. "Oh boy..."

⋆｡˚˚｡⋆

Aoi watched in silence as he didn't bother to greet his family and explain why he ran from home. Kumon's butterfly looked at Aoi who shook his head. Anything at this moment might set him off. Aoi crawled underneath the door and saw Juza wrapped up in his bedsheets like a cocoon.

He sat on his desk, giving him space. It was then he remembered Shion and Yakumo. Did they ever make it back? Aoi booted up Juza's laptop and waited for the login in screen. He put in the info and went on the web to post on his social media. It was the easiest way. He typed in an updated and waited for Shion to comment something, anything.

He soon got a dm. He checked it and was relieved to see it was Shion. Aoi's eyes could hardly keep up with Shion's texting. He typed back, explaining Juza wasn't in any condition to do anything at all. He asked about Yakumo who didn't seem to have come home yet. Aoi looked back at Juza who still hid in his sheets. The path to recovery seemed like a long one.


End file.
